Francis Wade | Tumultuous times? Persuade others to think decades ahead

As a C-suiter committed to influencing your peers, you may find yourself falling short. It’s clear that you want to build a legacy. But you can’t convince the board and other executives to commit to long-term thinking. How can you transform this environment?

By now, you might realise that persuading other leaders to strategise differently is a wicked challenge even in the best of organisations.

The fact is, other colleagues at the top are proud of their accomplishments. They are results producers, known for their ability to rally staff to produce short-term outcomes. This happens to be their common definition of the word ‘leadership’.

However, it has dawned on you that something new is required.

Now, without warning and with no training, you have been thrust into a fresh role: chief guardian of the strategic future. In other words, it’s up to you to make sure that your company becomes Digicel (not Cable & Wireless), Apple iPhone (not Blackberry or Nokia), and Netflix (not Blockbuster).

Your reaction? Some in your shoes become paralysed. Others deny the responsibility, and also cling to being victims of bigger forces. A few get energised by the difference they can make. If you have even a shred of the third experience within you, keep reading. This could be important.

You are a liability

Many new executives see their promotions as rewards. As they strive to prove that their elevation was deserved, their egos get entangled. Some experience imposter syndrome.

Consider the sad truth: many never escape this zone.

Instead, they stay focused on short-term results. After all, that’s what got them recognised, and earned their bonuses. Some go further and deny that they should be any different. They argue that:

• The world is changing too fast to do more than react to the latest pandemic, war or tariff. Agility is everything;

• The pressing need to make payroll and please investors is insurmountable; and

• Our competitors/industry players aren’t thinking beyond immediate impact. Why should we?

Fortunately, you don’t buy these arguments completely. You suspect that the longer you stay stuck in the short-term mindset of a manager, the more of a liability you become. Case in point: Kodak had hundreds of executives who proved to be liabilities. By clinging to quick fixes, they helped destroy US$31 billion in value and 128,000 jobs.

However, in most companies, no-one challenges the slow speed of your transformation from manager to leader. Why? Your new position insulates you from high-quality feedback. But maybe you are fortunate to be able to see a gap. Now what?

Learning by persuading

Perhaps you contemplate taking an overseas course, attending a conference, or reading a book. Filling the gap used to be about gaining access to fresh information.

Today, things are happening too fast to learn slowly. Here’s a different approach.

Your company needs you to convert that initial shred of insight about legacy building into today’s courageous conversations. If you are not the brave sort, start having them with your direct reports before graduating to colleagues in the C-Suite, and then board members.

More specifically, ask: ‘What’s the long-term impact of this decision?’ Or ‘What trends or threats are we ignoring?’ Also: ‘What are we doing to solve issues in our organisation so they are sustainable?’

Query ‘What goals would inspire our various stakeholders?’ Challenge the status quo: ‘What long-term, breakthrough accomplishments are we not even talking about?’

I suggest that you alter the wording of these questions to fit your culture as a for-profit, non-profit, school, NGO, government agency, charity, political party, faith-based institution, volunteer group, football club, etc. But the point is that you must evangelise your approach to legacy-building to build real influence.

Become expert

This point may seem to be a contradiction. Can’t you become a great corporate leader by continuously evangelising game-changing results, pre-emptive planning and long-term thinking? After all, didn’t Jesus’ disciples start without formal training?

Maybe. But they probably followed Paul’s words to Timothy: Study to show yourself approved. But what does that mean in today’s world?

Here’s how you can learn from the experience of others:

• Pick up case studies. Use YouTube to acquire stories of long-term success versus short-term failure;

• Contrast vague vision statements with precise language for the future. New York’s leading mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, is a great example; and

• Follow thought leaders and the principles they are sharing. In prior Gleaner columns, I have curated many of the best.

The ability to shift minds from ‘this quarter’ to ‘this decade’ isn’t innate; it’s built. Start practising now, or risk being confined by short-term thinking indefinitely.

Francis Wade is a management consultant and author of Perfect Time-Based Productivity. To search past columns on productivity, strategy and business processes, or give feedback, email: columns@fwconsulting.com